Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Could An ExtraTerrestrial Find Earth with a Telescope?

Posted by Zonk on from the helloooo-up-there dept.

Active Seti writes "If aliens were hunting life outside their own planet, could they peer through the vastness of space and lock onto Earth as a likely home for life? Researchers say with a roughly Hubble-sized array observers could measure Earth's 24-hour rotation period, possibly leading to observations of oceans and the chance of life. 'They would only be able to see Earth as a single pixel, rather than resolving it to take a picture,' said Astronomer Eric Ford. 'But that could be enough for them to identify our planet as one that likely contains clouds and oceans of liquid water.' The research will be useful to astronomers designing the next generation of space telescopes on our planet, because it provides an outline of the capabilities required for studying the surfaces of Earth-like worlds."

6 of 179 comments (clear)

  1. I've got an idea by ILuvRamen · · Score: 4, Funny

    We should totally arrange some stars into a smiley face or big arrow pointing at us then (yes I know that would only look right from certain angles, it's a joke). But you've got to wonder why some other super advanced civilization didn't move some stars around to circle themselves or something and make it really obvious where they lived.

    --
    Google's Super Secret Search Algorithm: SELECT @search_results FROM internet WHERE @search_results = 'good'
    1. Re:I've got an idea by edwardpickman · · Score: 4, Funny

      They probably did it's just their smiley face has five eyes and no mouth. The stars spelling out "We Are Here" are tough to read given the language differences and they use a pentagon to point instead of an arrow given they never developed archery. Celapods have trouble with bows. There is hope of translating the "Free Beer" part of the sign if we can only figure out the translation for beer. We do know there's an exclamation mark like symbol at the end of what's thought to be the word Beer. We know it as Orion's Belt.

    2. Re:I've got an idea by LynnwoodRooster · · Score: 3, Funny

      Well then, screw them... I mean, if they aren't going to follow the stinking RFC standards about smilies and emoticons then why do we even want their standards-breaking butts here anyway?

      --
      Browsing at +1 - no ACs, I ignore their posts. So refreshing!
  2. Intergalactic quarantine symbol by Hognoxious · · Score: 5, Funny

    Rings around a gas giant means "keep the hell away from this system and don't, whatever you do, let the inhabitants get out".

    --
    Confucius say, "Find worm in apple - bad. Find half a worm - worse."
  3. A pentagon-shaped smiley? by haraldm · · Score: 2, Funny

    Whoa - if their smiley were pentagon-shaped I'd definitely run! Other civilizations with pentagon-shaped things aren't famous for being friendly towards people who are "different".

    --
    open (SIG, "</dev/zero"); $sig = <SIG>; close SIG;
  4. We've Already Been Discovered by DavidD_CA · · Score: 5, Funny

    We've already been discovered, twice.

    The first time: they discussed us using irrelevant analogies, took a senseless poll, said things like "imagine a Beowulf cluster of these" and "itsatrap!", and one alien remarked "I, for one, welcome our new Earthling overlords."

    The second time: they just shouted "DUPE!" and moved on.

    --
    -David